The British Columbia government has unveiled a renewed plan for the Burnaby Hospital Project, restarting work on a redevelopment that faced significant cost pressures and community frustration earlier this year.
The revised approach puts improvements to the hospital’s emergency and surgical departments at the front of the project, with expanded cancer care and additional acute-care services to follow. The province is committing $210 million to the next phase.
“People in Burnaby have been clear about how important this hospital is to them, and they deserve care that’s timely, reliable and close to home,” Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma said. She added that changing the way the improvements are delivered will allow the project to move forward while maintaining the province’s commitment to Burnaby residents.
The announcement follows the province’s decision earlier this year to cancel a construction contract for the hospital expansion. The decision triggered frustration in the community, including protests and public opposition in May. Burnaby officials subsequently pressed the province to maintain its commitment to the project.
Phase 1 provides the foundation
The renewed plan builds on Phase 1 of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment, which opened in early 2026 as part of the hospital’s broader modernization.
Phase 1 delivered a new six-storey health-care pavilion with 83 beds, including maternity, neonatal intensive care, mental-health and medical units.
The phase also expanded the hospital’s support facilities, adding new emergency-department areas, six operating rooms and a new energy centre designed to support the hospital’s growing requirements.
The next phase will focus first on expanding and modernizing emergency and surgical services. The province is also continuing planning for expanded cancer care and additional patient capacity through a future acute-care tower.
$210 million for emergency and surgical upgrades
The expanded emergency department will be located in the hospital’s support facilities building.
The planned improvements include a combined waiting and patient check-in area, a new decontamination zone and ambulance entrance, and 16 additional treatment spaces.
Additional support areas will create separate pathways for patients and staff, while mechanical, electrical, information-management and information-technology systems will also be upgraded.
The surgical department will undergo a major expansion and renewal in the same building.
Four existing operating rooms will be upgraded and combined with the six new operating rooms opened in early 2026, bringing the hospital to 10 standardized operating rooms. The new rooms are designed with flexible layouts and surgical technology that can support different clinical requirements.
The surgical area will also include an integrated sterile core serving all 10 operating rooms, four minor procedure rooms, and 42 renovated perioperative preparation and recovery bays.
That represents an increase of 17 bays. Expanded support areas with dedicated patient and staff pathways are also part of the plan.
Rising costs forced a change in approach
The redevelopment timeline was adjusted under Budget 2026 after updated preliminary estimates based on detailed design work showed that the project had become significantly over budget.
To address the cost pressures, the project board commissioned an independent report. That review produced 25 recommendations and guidance on how the redevelopment could be delivered while remaining within its intended budget and scope.
The revised plan separates the immediate clinical improvements from later portions of the redevelopment, allowing the emergency and surgical work to proceed while planning continues for additional acute-care and cancer services.
The province says the changes are intended to keep the hospital redevelopment moving while responding to the financial pressures that had delayed the broader project.
Procurement begins before detailed design and construction
The next steps are already defined.
Initial procurement is expected to be completed in early 2027, followed by detailed design work and construction.
The province says the improvements are intended to provide more coordinated care for patients while giving health-care workers modern facilities designed around current care-delivery requirements.
The renewed project marks another stage in the long-term modernization of Burnaby Hospital, which is being redeveloped in phases while continuing to serve the local community.
